22 July 2008 :

Eyad Ahmed Sukkar, 35, was sentenced to death by firing squad in a Gaza City court after prosecutors charged him with transferring information to Israel that resulted in the deaths of two wanted Hamas terrorists. It was the first death sentence issued in Gaza since Hamas seized control of the coastal territory in 2007. Executions require final approval from Abbas, and Hamas said that despite its difference with the Palestinian Authority leader, it would comply with established norms. However, a Hamas official cited by The Jerusalem Post said that if Abbas failed to uphold the court's ruling, the ruling terror group would find another way of dealing with the convicted man. Abbas, unlike his predecessor and mentor Yasser Arafat, has yet to approve a death sentence since taking office.